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Enlarge ImageRequest to buy this photoDispatch file photoMunicipal Court Judge Paul M. Herbert, shown discussing his CATCH Court for former prostitutes with a defendant in 2010, has proposed creating the Ohio State Office of Human Trafficking.

Judge Paul M. Herbert, an architect of central Ohio’s strategy for steering women away from
prostitution, said he thinks Ohio State University could be a leader in the movement to study and
end human trafficking.

That’s why Herbert, a Franklin County Municipal Court judge who started the county’s specialty
court for former prostitutes in 2009, has proposed the creation of the Ohio State Office of Human
Trafficking.

There, he said, former prostitutes and trafficked victims could have their traumas and
mental-health and addiction issues treated; the psychology and social-work departments could help
with societal acceptance and reintegration; researchers could study the larger issue of
trafficking; there could be outreach to help other victims escape the lifestyle; and perhaps most
importantly, real policy change could start.

Sen. Jim Hughes agrees. The Columbus Republican asked for $2 million in startup money for the
office in the massive list of amendments the Senate added to the version of the state budget the
House had passed.

A committee quickly slashed that to $1 million but, so far, that amount remains. The Senate is
still negotiating and plans to vote on its version of the budget this week. Then, it all goes to a
joint committee of representatives and senators to work out the differences between the two
budgets.

The deadline for approving a final budget is July 1.

Hughes said OSU is an obvious choice for such an office, which probably would be the first of
its kind in the country.

“At this flagship university, you have all of that expertise and all of those disciplines under
one umbrella,” he said. “I think the center is a great idea, and Ohio has an opportunity to have a
real impact on this problem.”

And the problem isn’t minor. Nationally, more than 100,000 children are thought to be involved
in the sex trade. Ohio has been labeled a hub, and it has been estimated that at least 1,000
juveniles are forced into the trade here annually and thousands more are at risk.

In Franklin County alone, more than 1,000 solicitation/prostitution charges are filed each year.
Herbert, who started CATCH Court (Changing Attitudes to Change Habits) in 2009, said people
sometimes get hung up on the words “human trafficking” and think that’s somehow different than the
prostitution on the streets.

“The reality is that somehow, some way, these women get trapped in a lifestyle that someone won’t
let them leave,” he said. “I wholly believe this is a syndrome, and we need to take action to make
a difference.”

Studies show that nearly all women who have been involved in the sex trade suffered trauma when
they were younger, and substance abuse and addiction is nearly universal. Trafficking for labor is
of equal concern, Herbert said.

OSU spokeswoman Gayle Saunders said discussions about the project have been going on for about
six months. She said university officials are excited about the possibility, but it’s too early to
discuss what the framework might look like.

Herbert said the OSU office would be able to advance the recommendations already made by state
Attorney General Mike DeWine’s Ohio Human Trafficking Commission.

Hughes said this is a chance for Ohio to make a difference: “This is a problem that hits you in
the gut. We need to be the leaders in ending it.”